Maryland lawmakers voted Wednesday to create a commission to study and recommend potential reparations for slavery and the lingering effects of racial discrimination in the state.
The 101-36 vote in the Maryland House sends the bill to Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who says he will consider the legislation.
Potential reparations outlined in the bill include official statements of apology, monetary compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, as well as licensing and permit fee waivers and reimbursement. Reparations also could include assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, child care, debt forgiveness, and tuition payment waivers for higher education.
The measure was a top priority of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, which has 66 members and is the largest Black caucus in the nation’s state legislatures.
“The commission will carefully examine and evaluate a range of reparations proposals that will not only consider financial restitution, but will also explore strategies to support and uplift vulnerable communities that continue to suffer the lingering and evasive effects of discriminatory practices rooted in systematic racism,” Del. Aletheia McCaskill, a Baltimore County Democrat, said when the caucus outlined its priorities for the legislative session in January.
“A healing moment”
Del. McCaskill spoke to WJZ Thursday, expressing joy that this legislation is headed to the governor’s desk.
“This is a healing moment for many folks,” she said.
Del. McCaskill says is healing the deep wounds is caused by many years of slavery and racial discrimination.
The bill’s debate
Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, the bill caused a bit of debate on the House floor.
One delegate called it a mission to set up a reparations tax.
“I think it’s disgraceful that we’re going to set up a reparations tax that might tax one race and give to another race,” said Del. Matthew Morgan, a St. Mary’s County Republican.
“It’s not necessarily the taxpayer dollar,” Del. McCaskill said. “This will come from other places like institutions in like the banking systems…places like higher education.”
“This commission can be the tool to inform our own citizens of what’s happening in other communities,” said Baltimore County NAACP First Vice President Ronald Patterson.
Patterson hopes this legislation can stretch beyond Maryland.
“It is necessary that a commission like this would actually exist across the country,” he said.
The commission could start this year
If signed by Governor Wes Moore, Del. McCaskill said they’ll start forming the commission later this year.
The bill states the commission must release a final report by November 2027. That report would include commission findings and recommendations.
Del. McCaskill said she’s very confident Gov. Moore will sign this bill.
“He absolutely gets the importance of this commission being seated,” she said.
What’s next?
Moore, who is the state’s first Black governor and the nation’s only Black governor currently in office, has declined to say whether he will sign the measure, noting the lingering impact of racism while also acknowledging the state’s difficult budget conditions.
“I have said and long stated that the history of racism in this state is real,” the governor told reporters, adding that the impacts “are still very much being felt and they’ve been structurally felt within the state of Maryland.”
Moore also noted the state’s fiscal constraints in a tough budget year, saying he’s viewing legislation through the lens of growing Maryland’s economy, making the state more business-friendly and investing in the state’s people.
Last year, California lawmakers passed some of the nation’s most ambitious legislation aimed at atoning for a legacy of racist policies that drove racial disparities for Black people. None of the bills provided widespread direct payments to Black Americans. Instead, California lawmakers approved the return of land or compensation to families whose property was unjustly seized by the government, and issued a formal apology.
New York City lawmakers approved legislation last year to study the city’s significant role in slavery and consider reparations to descendants of enslaved people.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
